Gabriel Batistuta has announced his retirement from professional
football on March 14, 2005. In an official statement to the press he
said, "I am retiring as a professional footballer. Thank-you for all
the affection that you have given me. Everything has a end, training
for me was not the same any more, my enthusiasm was waning. So the
time arrived to say goodbye to football. I'm ready for other
challenges. I told the club that the motivation I once had was not
there any more and we reached an agreement." Batistuta said his
retirement was "definitive" but added that he would still remain
active in the game. "I will certainly continue in football in a
different role," he said. "I will continue with my contractual,
publicity and managerial commitments and finish my studies for coaching."